Roosters trio to be back by NRL round nine

Boyd Cordner, Jared Warea-Hargreaves and Mitchell Pearce could all be back on deck for the Roosters by their round nine NRL clash with Newcastle.

Sydney Roosters NRL player Mitchell Pearce

Mitchell Pearce could be back on deck for the Roosters by their round nine NRL clash with Newcastle. (AAP)

There is finally some light at the end of the dark tunnel at Sydney Roosters HQ, with Boyd Cordner, Jared Warea-Hargreaves and Mitchell Pearce all a chance of being back within the week.

Only second-rower Cordner is likely to return for Monday's traditional Anzac Day NRL clash with St George Illawarra, however all three could be back on deck the following week against Newcastle.

Pearce is certain to return after his eight-game ban for his Australia Day atrocity ends this week, while Warea-Hargreaves is close to a full recovery from his knee reconstruction.

A proud New Zealander, Warea-Hargreaves would've loved an opportunity to return in the annual blockbuster against the Dragons, but Robinson said he couldn't afford to make an emotional decision.

"With such a big injury, you've got to make sure that you're ready to play," Robinson said on Friday.

"We're a little bit short (but) we're hoping for the Knights game now. I know there's a weekend off after that, so that's also a chance that he may not play next week.

"It's frustrating, but you've got to do it when it's right and not because of emotions."

Cordner's return depends on how he pulls up from a training session on Friday night.

"Tonight will be his last fitness test," Robinson said.

"It's a pec, so there are some out of range movements that he's going to have to do."

Asked whether Pearce had done everything he wanted leading up to his comeback, Robinson said: "Yeah, and more."

The impending return of their star trio is a major boost for the battling Roosters, who are last on the NRL ladder with just one win from their opening seven games.

And while Robinson has no concerns about his team lifting for what he labelled "the biggest round game of the year" for the club, he hoped a big performance would kickstart their disappointing season.

"That'd be nice," he said.

"We've been fighting each week and we've been in most of those games, but we want to have a big performance on Monday both to honour the day and because we want to play well."


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Source: AAP



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